Himmler Marcus, Schubert Dirk W, Fuchsluger Thomas A
Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Rostock, Doberaner Straße 140, 18057 Rostock, Germany.
Institute of Polymer Materials, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Martenstraße 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Nov 25;11(12):3191. doi: 10.3390/nano11123191.
The transparency of nanofibrous scaffolds is of highest interest for potential applications like corneal wound dressings in corneal tissue engineering. In this study, we provide a detailed analysis of light transmission through electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. PCL scaffolds were produced via electrospinning, with fiber diameters in the range from (35 ± 13) nm to (167 ± 35) nm. Light transmission measurements were conducted using UV-vis spectroscopy in the range of visible light and analyzed with respect to the influence of scaffold thickness, fiber diameter, and surrounding medium. Contour plots were compiled for a straightforward access to light transmission values for arbitrary scaffold thicknesses. Depending on the fiber diameter, transmission values between 15% and 75% were observed for scaffold thicknesses of 10 µm. With a decreasing fiber diameter, light transmission could be improved, as well as with matching refractive indices of fiber material and medium. For corneal tissue engineering, scaffolds should be designed as thin as possible and fabricated from polymers with a matching refractive index to that of the human cornea. Concerning fiber diameter, smaller fiber diameters should be favored for maximizing graft transparency. Finally, a novel, semi-empirical formulation of light transmission through nanofibrous scaffolds is presented.
纳米纤维支架的透明度对于角膜组织工程中角膜伤口敷料等潜在应用具有至关重要的意义。在本研究中，我们对通过静电纺聚己内酯（PCL）支架的光传输进行了详细分析。PCL支架通过静电纺丝制备，纤维直径范围为(35±13)nm至(167±35)nm。使用紫外可见光谱在可见光范围内进行光传输测量，并针对支架厚度、纤维直径和周围介质的影响进行分析。编制等高线图以便直接获取任意支架厚度的光传输值。对于10μm的支架厚度，根据纤维直径的不同，观察到的传输值在15%至75%之间。随着纤维直径的减小以及纤维材料和介质的折射率匹配，光传输可以得到改善。对于角膜组织工程，支架应设计得尽可能薄，并由折射率与人眼角膜匹配的聚合物制成。关于纤维直径，较小的纤维直径有利于使移植物透明度最大化。最后，提出了一种通过纳米纤维支架的光传输的新型半经验公式。
